A Silent Lovesong
by Vass'Happeninnn
Summary: "Don't be mad when I say this..." Justin signed. Audrey followed his hand signals for a second behind her book, then dropped the paperback onto the couch and scooted next to him..."But i'm kind of happy we had never heard each other's voices." Audrey raised her eyebrows. "Even though the sound wasn't present, I didn't need it to tell my mind that you were my harmony." "I love you."
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1, The Beginning

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**Tuesday, June 16th, 2019.**  
**12:00 P.M.**  
**Stratford, Canada.**

* * *

Audrey Blanchard- Bernard quickly boarded the bus home from her last day of school. "Happy Belated birthday, Aud." Her best friend hugged her before they departed their ways; kids zooming past them, teachers equally excited carrying boxes to their cars.  
Her birthday. She took a window seat in the front of the bus and looked out the window. Ever since she was a kid her birthday was always dreaded. "Happy birthday Awwwdreee." Her drunken father whispered in her ear, taking another swig of the liquor flask near her bedside.  
She quickly shook off the memory. He's in jail. He can't hurt her or her brother anymore.  
Audrey quickly gathered up her shoulder bag for school and exited the bus when it stopped a few blocks over from her apartment in Greenwood drive.  
She took out her headphones and put them in her ears and listened to the Muse while she walked past the park- indicating she was almost home.  
Her friends thought it was silly and often teased her for it, but she loved to hang out at the park. When she played at the park she felt like the innocence her father took from her as a child was being restored slowly. Her favorite thing to do was to watch the children play and write poems. She would often sit at the park bench near the mothers and start singing some of the songs she wrote. If the mothers said it was okay, she would even let the kids strum a few notes on her guitar.  
Audrey made her way up to her apartment on the third floor and opened the door with her keys. Her older brother, Nicholas, was on the couch flipping absent-mindedly through the channels. "Hi Audie." He said and gave her a kiss on the cheek and she sat next to him. Nicholas was always a father and a mother to her since she was old enough to remember, when their mother was too doped up to notice she had kids and her father was too busy beating them to care. "How was your last day of school?" He asked. She shrugged.  
"How was your day at work?" He shrugged aswell. "Good, nothing really happened."  
They directed their attention to the TV, killing time. Let the summer vacation begin.  
**6:00**

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"I think I wanna go to the park for a while." She said and grabbed her beat-up headphones and iPod Nano along with her guitar. "Be careful." He said sternly. "And be back before dark." She nodded and shrugged on her coat.  
Lately her brother has become more protective of her; like her father was released from jail or their mother had somehow located them from one of her suppliers. The thought of either one of them coming back into their lives made Audrey sick to her stomach.  
When she arrived at her favorite spot in the park- The park entrance facing the playground-, she set her guitar down next to her and turned on her iPod. Putting her headphones in, she took out her poems notebook and watched as the kids ran around the jungle- gym only a few feet away. She observed the people around her- A girl and a boy holding hands and walking in the park- No doubt on their first date, a mother comforting her crying son, a few little kids- A little boy and girl with identical blond hair and brown eyes, running just a few steps away from her, then stop in front of her and stare at her guitar. She was going to wave them over to show them how it worked, but their father quickly called them and told them it was time to go home.  
Audrey sighed and looked back down at her notebook. She might as well try to get some writing done, it was almost dark- she'd wasted a good thirty minutes just staring at people.  
She mainly just drew on the small sheet. After a few seconds the park bench shook, indicating somebody had taken a seat next to her. She looked up, and was met by pair of brown, hazelly eyes, and then pearly white teeth smiling back to her. She gives him a small smile, which probably came out as a smirk, and returned to her work.  
She had been very shy ever since she was little, she didn't go out much nor have many friends, so her people skills were low. They sat- well he sat, she had her headphones in- for silence a while. She felt like someone was talking to her, so she lifted her head and turned to him. She had been right; he was waiting for her to answer a question. She heard a muffled sound from his mouth again as he spoke, so she pointed to her headphones and returned to her work after she got a nod from him indicating he understood.  
He quickly got an idea and pulled out a post-it note from his pocket and a sharpie pen. He scribbled something from the pad, ripped it off, and set it next to her, pushing the sticky part down on the bench. She turned her head next to her where the sticky note lay, and read the note in a little jumbled crooked handwriting 'That your guitar?' It said in black. Next to it was the post- its. She snorted and he smirked, okay so maybe it wasn't the best question he could think of, but she was stunning. He was dying to know her.  
She picked up the post-its and her red sharpie pen. 'Yeah.' She scrawled on it with her bubbly handwriting and laid it on top of his sticky, setting down the post-it's to his side. 'I'm Justin.' Another one appeared before she could return to her notebook. 'Audrey.' She scribbled back and placed it directly above it. After a few seconds he finally have her another note. 'That's a pretty name.'  
'Thanks.' She scribbled back.  
They talked for a good forty-five minutes, the usual conversations starters- Music, interests, food, school, and summer, until it was ready for Audrey to come home. 'I have to go.' She frantically scribbled back when the sunset drew by. 'Will I see you tomorrow then?' He wrote back. She sat an considered, then shrugged. What the hell, she had nothing better to do. 'Yes.' She said and gathered her things then left.  
When she got home, boy did she get an ear full. Dinner was at the table and Nicholas was waiting at the door. Although she didn't look it, Audrey was very sensitive. She was on the edge of crying before her brother realized she had enough and gave her a hug. They ate dinner together, and then she took a shower, changed into bedclothes, and went to sleep- kind of looking forward to tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2, the Date

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**Wednesday, June 17th, 2009.**

_'Was my little Awdree good for daddy?' He asked her at bedtime. Audrey closed her eyes, heart racing as she heard the lock turn on the door and the belt buckle in his hand clunk noisily. She lay on the bed and gulped, nodding her head as her back was turned towards him. Nicholas was pounding at the door. 'Dad no! Don't hurt her!' 'Mary come get your kid.' He snapped. She closed her eyes as the belt whipped against her back with no warning. 'You weren't good enough.' He whispered harshly, she fell asleep to the sound of the leather across her backside and the feel of salty tears running down her rosy cheeks._

~*~  
**4:00 A.M.**

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Audrey woke up at, pale faced and sweaty, covers plastered under her shaking fingers to her body. She looked around her room, expecting her father to be there with the same brown leather-strap belt he wore every day. Without seeing him, she glanced at the clock and sighed. Usually she'd be relieved to have a few more hours to keep before school, but right about now would be the time when she would run into her brother's room like she did when she had such nightmares.  
And she found herself a few minutes later with a teddy bear named Boo cradled to her chest, knocking on her brother's door and entering when she heard him groan a 'Whaaat?'. She lay down next to him and clutched her teddy bear.  
Audrey sniffled as he pulled her close and kissed her hair soothingly. "Don't worry. He can't hurt us anymore. I won't let it happen." He whispered into her ears as she fell asleep sobbing to the words he repeated every morning that ended up like this.  
**11:00 AM.**

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Audrey grumbled out from her brother's small room into their shared flat, watching him flip through channels absent-mindedly. They usually pretended like nothing happened after one of them came into each other's rooms sobbing- Yes, Nicholas did it too but not as often as Audrey- For the best because talking about it only made it worse. But Nicholas felt as equally as protected around Audrey as she did him. They felt it was their duty to protect each other and it comforted them both to know it.  
"You hungry?" Audrey asked as she pulled out a few eggs to make pancakes. Nicholas nodded and went over to help her- he was a culinary master, a limited culinary master at that, but a culinary master nonetheless. They made small talk, laughing occasionally as the flour fell over, coating them both, flipping the pancakes and diving to save them from hitting the floor, forgetting about whatever happened this morning.  
After the pancakes were done, they sat and ate their breakfast. "What's the plan for today?" Nicholas asked in-between bites. Audrey shrugged. "Was just gonna hang here until around.. Hm 6 or 7, going to the park to meet with a friend." "What friend?" He asked, not protectively but just to make conversation. She shrugged and room the plates to the sink and washed them out. "Not really a friend, just some guy," (He tensed up at the guy part in his seat) "I met yesterday at the park." She said and sat at the couch, him joining her. "So, like a date?" Protective mode kicked in. She shrugged again, wanting to be done with the conversation before he made a big fuss. He dropped the conversation and flipped through channels. "Well, we're running low on food. Get dressed in a bit we can go shopping."  
**12:00 PM, Supermarket.**

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Audrey and Nicholas walked down the supermarket aisles, scanning the frozen food section.  
"Are you sure we can afford all of this?" Audrey asked worriedly. Nicholas nodded his head. "I erm... I got promoted." He announced. Audrey squealed and gave him a hug, and examined everything in the cart. Audrey had been worrying a lot about her brother lately, he was so stressed about Law school and his part-time job- Audrey was doing as much as she could at home to take the stress away, wasn't she the best little sister ever? That wasn't just it, since she wasn't old enough to work she took on babysitting- it didn't bring in a lot of money like a job would pay, but its money so it helps. Nicholas ruffled her hair under her black acrylic skull cap and pushed the cart on.  
When they reached the checkout, Audrey was looking around curiously, scanning magazine racks and putting the bagged items back into the cart when she saw a familiar flock of red hair through the windows on the back of the supermarket. She had thought she was hallucinating but then knew she was sane when she saw it again. There was a woman outside, with long, red hair, braided into a ponytail, and the same blue eyes her and Nicholas- And her mother shared.  
Audrey didn't have to speak, Nicholas already knew she saw. She was frozen, she couldn't move. The woman wore sweats, too baggy to fit her small skinny frame, and had red eyes- Probably doped out again. Nicholas, wanting to shield his sister from all of their childhood memories, quickly pushed her and the cart out to their beat- up, handed down Suzuki Forenza- One of the cars their grandmother who took care of them left them in her will after she passed. He helped her into the passenger seat of the car and loaded in all of the groceries when the woman, walking around the parking lot, turned to him. When he finished loading the groceries she was walking towards them- then started to run, so he slammed the trunk door closed and hopped in the car, turning on the ignition and reversed out of the parking space, speeding out of the parking lot.  
Audrey and Nicholas who were both shocked at seeing their mother for the first time since their father and she were arrested, still spoke nothing of it when they got home.  
They laid in the couch it gather with a blanket draped across each other- A very chilly day for summer. Audrey quickly fell asleep on her side of the couch. Nicholas grinned at the innocent sight of his sleeping baby sister- She looked almost like she did that one morning when they were little- He shook off the memory. Maybe he would go for a nap himself. He turned off the TV and pulled the covers over him and checked on Audrey to make sure she was fine -force of habit- before dozing off.  
**6:30 PM.**

* * *

Audrey jumped up and quickly got ready for her...erm... Meeting? With Justin. She wore a beautiful pink sundress and put on some lip gloss and a little blush. She didn't know what their... Get together was considered, but there's no reason why she shouldn't put in an effort to look good.  
She grabbed her iPod and headphones and walked out her bedroom to see Nicholas still sprawled out on the couch, blanket half on-half off, and snoring lightly. She figured she shouldn't wake him, then repositioned the blanket so it covered his whole body. Running a finger through his curls she tucked the blanket more onto him. With that, she slowly closed the squeaky door behind her and locked it, exiting the apartment and walking the short few blocks to the park.  
The breezy wind whipped against her cheeks and she wrapped her favorite black cardigan around her tightly, cursing she hadn't brought a heavier jacket knowing how Canada isn't exactly the warmest country. Sitting on the park bench didn't really help the situation either. Putting her headphones in her ears she sighed and leaned back as e wind pushed her hair in different directions. Maybe a beanie would've been smart too?  
"Bonfire!" Someone called out. Audrey snapped her head up and saw a group of teenagers, three boys and a girl. From behind her someone grabbed her hand and places a crumpled post-it note on the flat of her palm. 'C'mon it'll be fun!' It read. She looked up and met a pair of all too familiar hazel eyes, the one she sent thinking about when she lay awake last night in Nicholas' room, staring at the pale blue ceiling and waiting for sleep to overtake her body.  
Justin bit his lip and tried to contain the excitement throughout the evening as his friends Chaz, Ryan, Christian and Caitlin with Audrey huddled around the fire, occasional small- talk. He and Audrey were the quiet ones, laughing and occasionally a nod of the head, but the whole night Audrey caught Justin staring at her one hundred forty- seven, make that forty- eight times, the past few hours. When she did he quickly looked away but then blushed when he realized everyone saw he was looking at her. Chaz chucked a marshmallow at Caitlin and she glared at him.  
"Getting pretty late guys." Christian said, glancing up at the sunset. Chaz and Ryan chimed in aswell and started to gather up the marshmallow scraps and was going to put out the fire out but Justin shook his head. "But-" Chaz elbowed Caitlin and earned a glare from Ryan and Christian and then she let out an "oooooohhhh!" The four of them said their goodbyes to Audrey and Justin and made their way out the park along with exasperated adults desperately trying to get their kids to stop crying and into their mini vans.  
Things got a little bit awkward after that. Audrey sat with her last marshmallow on her stick above the fire, her other arm wrapped round her knees hugged to her chest. Justin quickly realized she was cold, and, ignoring her silent polite declines, took off his jacket and draped it across her shoulders. Their eyes met at that instant. She giggled and blushed then looked down, but Justin caught her chin and looked into her eyes for an instant.  
They huddled in closer, their eyes still locked on each other when their faces slowly drew towards each other. Audrey shut her eyes, waiting anxiously for what she always imagined would be as romantic as it could be now- her first kiss. No people, no interruptions, no talking-  
Audrey looked down and her eyes widened. Her dress caught fire! Justin helped her up and then tried to blow it out, she found a stray bottle of water on the grass and dumped it all over the hem of her dress. After a few silent moments on irregular breathing, their heart rates slowed, and Audrey was the first to burst out laughing. Justin laughed at her laugh, and then she stopped and blushed. She always hated her laugh, but Justin thought it was the cutest thing he ever heard in his life.  
As if Justin read Audrey's mind, he grabbed either side of her face and looked her straight in the eyes. After a few hesitant, life-long breaths, they attempted the kiss again, but this time they succeeded un-interrupted. Before it could turn into anything major, she pulled back. He furrowed his eyebrows and this looked down, wondering if that wasn't what she wanted. But then to his surprised, she was the one that pulled him into the next kiss.  
They spent the rest of the night hand in hand as Justin walked Audrey to her apartment.  
Outside the building, she gave Justin a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and handed him back his jacket. He walked down the three small steps leading back down the path they came from, their hands still intertwined when he looked back at her. She nodded and he smiled, but reluctantly let go. She waved to him once again before walking inside the building up to the third flight to her flat.  
Before she could even collect herself, the butterflies still in her stomach from earlier this evening, the door swung open. She whipped around to meet her older brother, face stricken with anger and worry.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3,

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**9:00 PM**

Nicholas sat at the coffee table, hands folded firmly on the smooth surface as his feet tapped beneath him, his jeans clad thigh rubbing against the couch as he waited for his little sister to come home. It wasn't like her to just run off, no note, not waking him up, no text, so he was set more on edge than before. Then he realized he had a phone.

Face palming himself on the forehead, he pulled out his iPhone and quickly pulled up messages.

_*Audrey Blanchard- Bernard, u r in so much trouble. Come home right now. _Send.

He set the phone on the coffee table and returned to the stiff position he'd been in for a half-hour since he's woken up, not including the other half hour he'd spent looking around the flat, shouting her name in silly voices thinking she was hiding from him, and then screaming assumptions inside his head when he realized he was alone. He began to tap his foot impatiently, getting more nervous that something might've happened. Then, he thought more about the possibility that…. He quickly shook off the thought, before he even had time to ponder it further.

He glanced at his phone's watch. Nearly 9:00! This is definitely not like Audrey at all. Her curfew was 7:00. She knew that, but that was only when she was out with friends and a trusted adult chaperone. Other than that, right before sundown. When she got home she was soooo grounded, coffee would even tip their hats in sorrow. The anxiety becoming too much, Nicholas left his position on the couch and jumped up, pacing back and forth in front of TV. The brunette laughed to himself, seeming as he became a proper parent/ guardian, one thing he'd never experienced in his entire life. But, he loved his little sister, more than anything in the world, so just as any older brother would, he felt the need to always make sure she was safe. It was natural for her to bring out the authority in him.

Around an hour, 28 desperate tele rings every ten minutes, three voicemails, and a thousand texts later, Nicholas stopped pacing in front of the living room window when he saw his little sister walk up the concrete path leading to the steps of the building, hand in hand with a stranger boy. The brunette tensed up, set over the edge by this. The boy wasn't very tall compared to Nicholas, who was 6"4, but since Audrey around 5"0, he was more than average in her eyes. He wasn't exactly scrawny, but he wasn't the most braulic of the blokes Audrey had been interested in. But still, he could take her down easily; Audrey had always been a few pounds under-weight, just merely by fragile-bone genetics. Be she could eat. It still made Nicholas worry, though.

Nicholas kept his eyes locked on the pair as he let go of her hand from the top step and made his way down the bottom step, back to the path leading to the entrance/exit. He stared after her reluctantly and she nodded him off as he disappeared down the road. Audrey took a few moments to collect herself, and ten turned and walked into the building. It wasn't long before Nicholas stood in the doorway, glaring down at his little sister before she could fumble around for her keys and ask the most evident question: "Where were you?"

Avoiding his gaze, her face dropped and she walked into the flat. "I told you I had a date." She said nonchalantly and made her way to the kitchen. "But I didn't say you could go did I?" He followed her. It was evident he was fuming. Audrey just played it cool. "You didn't; but I thought just by how you reacted when I told you was fine." She deadpanned, sitting on the living room couch with her water to prepare for the long lecture she was about to get.

"But did you really think it wouldn't be necessary to leave a message or even wake me up and tell me?" He screamed. She jumped and winced, he never really raised his voice at her unless it was something really bad. Nicholas sighed and rubbed his temples then gestured for her to come over to him. "I'm sorry." Then he enveloped her in a hug and kissed her forehead. "You know how worried I get….." She looked up at him with her puppy dog eyes and he chuckled. "Alright, well it was your first slip up… So…" When the hug was over he scratched the back of his head and let his arm fall limply to his side. "Just don't make it a regular thing." "Okay, I'm gonna go to bed. Night." "Night."

"Oh and I'm sorry I worried you." Audrey yelled over her shoulder and shut the bedroom door tight, while Nicholas sat on the couch and tried to steady his heart rate. The one thing his grandmother asked him to do and he almost screwed it up. Yawning, he glanced over at the big ticking old and dusty grandfather clock and read the time, nearly 11:00. Come to think of it, he always hated that clock ever since it almost fell on him as a kid. It would've been gone if Audrey hadn't spent a lot of the time at their gran's expensive mini mansion staring at it next to the fireplace drinking warm cinnamon milk. Decided to keep it, if it made her happy.

He yawned again and rubbed his eyes, and then turned everything off in the main part of the apartment. Walking into his dimmed room with the half-open-half closed blinds from his window illuminating the corner of his room where an old box of stuff he never got around to unpacking in the corner, he absent-mindedly slipped under the duvet of his clothes and kicked off his jeans. In seconds he was out like a light.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4, **

"_Oh Audrey, don't cry love." Their sickly grandma called from her hospital bed; hand on Audrey's cheek, wiping away the single tear right below her eyelid with the pads of her thumb. "But grandma," Audrey choked out, and clutched the elderly woman's hand tight. "You're dying!" She sobbed some more, pushing a strand of gray hair behind her gran's ear, and patting down the frizzy strands at the top of her head and smoothing them all the way down to the bun that resided on the nape of her neck. "But it's not for long." Audrey smiled. She had always admired her gran. She knew her gran didn't fear death, she embraced it. Ever since her grandpa had died of a heart attack a few years before._

"_How about this; I'll send you a postcard." Audrey managed a little laugh that sent her into another fit of sobs, twirling the beautiful family heirloom necklace Gram gave her just that day. Nicholas stood behind her, rubbing the flat of their grans palm and massaging small circles in Audrey's back. "Babybear, wait outside for a minute. Granma wants to talk to Nick for a minute okay?" Audrey nodded and reluctantly let go of her hand, and wandered off to go get her and her brother a snack- shed been so worried and scared to lose her gran she pushed her hunger to the back of her mind._

_They both stared out of her, and when her small footsteps faded indicating she was out of earshot, Nicholas closed the door and then rested next to Gran. "Now, I know you'll take good care of Audrey. You're young, but you're ready." Nicholas nodded. "On a piece of paper near my dresser is all of my account numbers and everything you need to take out everything I left you." Nicholas nodded again, the lump that formed in his throat the past worrisome 24 hours growing with every sentence she breathes out. "I want you to sell the house-" "No gran, no! You love that house." Gran shook her head and smiled. "I'll be alright." "But-but you lived there your whole life! You and grandpa deserve to have the memory of your house kept alive, Gran. We'll manage, my job has good pay, you have more than enough money, and we'll make it. But I won't throw away you and grandpa's memories."_

_Gran shook her head again and squeezed Nicholas' hands. "Oh honey, I don't need the house anymore. After your grandfather died, you kids and the house was the only thing that kept me level headed. I love your grandpa so much, and the house kept him alive, like he was still there. When I lay on our bed, I could still feel him next to me. I could hear his heart-beat and his laugh wander through the house with every room I walked in to. But I don't need the house anymore. I don't need it, love. I'll be with your grandpa shortly." Nicholas shed a few more tears and nodded his head. Then he broke out into silent sobs, and Gran grabbed his hand again and squeezed it tight, ignoring the moisture of his eyes that fell on her gown. "Look at me, Nicholas." He did as he was told._

"_Promise me that you protect Audrey, that you'll take good care of her." Nicholas promised his Gran. Then he was met by the small beeping sound that came from the room. He blocked it out for a few minutes while he stroked her hand a little bit more, but then the small line of green on a screen caught his eye. "Gran? Gran!" Nicholas was crying and screaming now, gently shaking the elder by her shoulders. "Please wake up! Please!" But it was no use. Audrey rushed in behind the doctor and the nurses, frozen with shock. The doctor, despite Nicholas holding onto their uniforms and begging for them to bring her back, pulled the bed sheet over her, and bowed their head. Audrey just sat on the hospital ground silently and hugged herself, staring at the hospital bed. It was only when Nicholas tried to pick her up she screamed for him to let her be, he left her there, her knees hugged to her chest as she sat there for hours staring at the pale sheets draped across the empty body of her Gran._

_The funeral didn't take a lot of planning, but Nicholas never talked about it around Audrey. Then again he could never talk with Audrey. He always found her lying in her bed, in her new room at their new small flat, looking up at the non-painted ceiling; headphones glued into her ears, twirling the necklace Gran give her in-between her thumbs. So she stayed like that, her only way of coping to her life changing. Again. Nicholas hid her headphones in his pocket the day of their Gran's funeral. It was a small reception, not nearly 50 people because, at Gran's request, the banker that held the accounts only allowed Nicholas a small sum of cash, and a small explanation to Gran wanting them to save everything they could._

_After the funeral, the first thing they did was come to Gran's house to collect the rest of their items. Nicholas wandered up to his room, leaving Audrey in the main room, the 'family time room' they called it, where they used to sit and watch corny game shows or play monopoly or look at old photo albums. When Nicholas arrived up to his room he promised himself he'd only keep the things that were important to him, but when he actually reached the doorknob to his room, he rushed in and grabbed everything he could find, looked at the first few things he had cradled in his arms, and burst into tears. He couldn't throw it away, he couldn't. Everything reminded him of Gram. So he got the biggest box he could find and emptied everything into it, old trophies from sports he either gave up on or still played, high school diplomas, his acceptance letter to university, everything._

_When he came downstairs, he found Audrey huddled by the fireplace. She had sat cross-legged on the oriental rug, arms hugging her chest like she'd been doing ever since she'd come home from the hospital. The foggy windows let in little light, the cold winter air rustling the trees outside and letting a few icicled drop from the windowsills onto the ground, a few tapping the windows on the way down. She stared absent-mindedly at the big, ugly, dusty clock Nicholas always hated, listening to the soft ticking. After a long discussion at their flat, Nicholas decided they'd keep the clock, if Audrey would come and talk to him from time to time whenever she needed to. She smiled, but it came out as a smirk, gave her big brother a big hug and a kiss, and walked into her new room-much bigger than his- and started to unpack._

"_Nicholas?_ Nicholas!" Someone was shaking his arm. He grumbled. "Ummmnnnnn!" "Nicholas, scoot over." Nicholas pulled himself into sitting position and shoved over from the middle to the right side of his twin bed. "Thank you." "Another bad dream?" He pushed the strands of hair from Audrey's face as she buried her head in the pillow. "Yeah." "Are you okay?" She nodded, messy bun bobbing up and down. "You sure you don't want to talk about it?" She nodded, and he sighed. "Alright." He said, and turned over with his back facing her.

"Wait, Nicholas?" "Hnn?" "I'm hungry."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 6, We'll Make It  
Sunday, June 24th.  
1:00 PM.  
Audrey lay on the hospital bed, looking up at the pale white sealing which matched her horror-stricken face. Justin sat by her and stroked her hair, an occasional teardrop rolled off of his face and onto her arms which lay strewn wildly next to her. She didn't mind though, it kind of felt bad and good that she knew she wasn't dreaming, well because Justin was there, and that he wasn't a figment of her imagination; that their magical date hadn't been her dreaming.  
Bad because she was bloody **deaf.**  
Nicholas stood outside her door talking to the doctor, occasionally pacing back to where the doctor stood next to the name plaque; _Room 146_, and out to the busy hallways where the nurses ran out and about. "I'm so so sorry, but the odds of her surviving was very low. She was lucky she's even alive. The truck did such a number on her, when she flipped over the truck and landed on the ground she hit her head on the concrete and damaged the temporal lobe. We don't fully understand it either. But, we believe it may be temporary... There's very little we can do but let it heal on its own. Like we said, it's damaged, but it isn't fully broken. Mr. Blanchard?" Nicholas looked up at Doctor Fields, who was currently holding up an ex-ray of Audrey's brain and pointing to the damaged area. "I'm sorry... So what should we do now?" The doctor looked down at his notes on his clipboard and looked up at Nicholas.  
"Well, as of now, Audrey is stable. We have some medication for her to help with the headaches..." "Headaches?" "It's pretty normal to have those, and with the blow that she got to her head, it's more than likely she'll be having them for some time." Nicholas winced. All of this because he didn't do a good job protecting her. "For if you want to see... The X-Rays…." He slid the transparent paper into the manila envelope and placed it in Nicholas' hands. "And about all of those cuts and bruises on Audrey's body, they're too old to be from the accident. Something you'd like to tell us?" Nicholas snapped his head up, the heat spreading across his face. They thought he was the son of a bitch who did that to her? Nicholas took a deep, deep breath, about to rip off a new one just for the whole hospital staff.

Justin kissed Audrey's forehead and then buried his head in the crook of her neck. When he pulled back Audrey stared up at him with watery eyes. "I have to go." He spoke slowly to make sure she understood what he was saying, his voice raspy and low. The gesture sprung tears to her eyes. That would've been the first time she'd heard his beautiful voice. But given the circumstances, she may never. She nodded and turned over in her hospital bed as he gave her another tight hand squeeze and let go reluctantly, picking up his coat and giving another glance over his shoulder to check she was alright. He hated to leave her, but he had to.  
On his way out, he got a threatening glance from Nicholas, which made him feel worse than ever. They held their stare for a minute or two, before Justin looked away sheepishly and ran out the hospital door- literally bolted.  
When Nicholas stepped in, Audrey had been laying on her side, staring at the hospital chair and the wall. "You okay?" He called out. He expected a small 'yes,' but then he remembered the situation they were in. Since Audrey couldn't see him, she had no idea he'd even spoke. He then walked over and Audrey felt a dip in the hospital bed and a hand cup over her shoulder. She nodded her head because she already knew what the question was. "When can we leave?" Her voice came out in a whisper. He just gave her shoulder a small squeeze and walked out to give her privacy to get dressed.

first_official_date_audrey_justin/set?id=56508627

Then when she was done getting dressed she went into the bathroom. So, she didn't have her make-up and looked herself over in the mirror. To cut it short, other than the major damage done by the accident, she had more than a few bruises and a couple of scratches- The type that only hurt when you touch them. But she was also very sore, in the arms and the legs, but hey, it was enough to ignore. Audrey smiled to herself and touched the beautiful gold keychain locket around her neck. At least it had survived the accident, unlike her dress.

When she exited the hospital room, she joined her brother at the check-out desk to sign the forms for her to check out and have her prescription. Nicholas and Audrey walked over to the desk and was met by a woman with pasty skin and a big nose. She looked like she could be a really mean librarian- A typical one, mole with sprouts of hair above upper lip, tight bun to the nape of her neck with gray hair at the roots, ugly dark colored lipstick, low, hollow voice, not particularly nice…

Nicholas gave her a small smile and she pushed a clipboard to him. Ignoring the nurses and doctors shouting and running around he began to scribble all over the clipboard and tugged Audrey's arm gently for her to sit with him at the waiting chairs. When he was done filling the forms he tugged on her sleeve and they walked back to the counter to hand the woman back the clipboard. They each gave her a smile, and walked to the car, Nicholas holding Audrey's wrist protectively the whole way. She rolled her eyes and got in the passenger seat.

They reached home; Nicholas set the keys on the coffee table and asked Audrey what she wanted for dinner, expecting an answer. _Dammit. _Nicholas thought, _I gotta remember to stop doing that. _He decided on Chinese food. He already knew what she'd want so he ordered for her.

When he hung up the phone and turned around he expected her to be sitting on the couch, watching TV or something. But no, Audrey had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders as she sat cross-legged on the beige carpet, arms folded in the unoccupied space on her lap, looking up at the large grandfather clock on the wall, clearly out of place. There was barely enough room for it so when somebody rounded a corner to a kitchen they had to make sure not to bump into it or it would fall over.

She stared up at the clock, despite not being able to hear it ticking; she watched the middle peace of the clock that showed the hands slowly bumping in a circle to represent a minute. Nicholas smiled at her fondly, leaning against the wall, sipping on his tea. She looked almost like a child at a toy store; mesmerized by the one thing she wanted, the one things she needed. But after a few minutes she got up and turned around. Nicholas raised his eyebrows. Audrey just looked down sheepishly at the floorboards and walked right past him, rounding the corner to her room where she shut the door softly and lay on her bed. She stared at her iPod and headphones as her head balanced on the back of her hand as she just stared.

She didn't want a silly toy, she wanted to hear again.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6, We'll Make It  
Sunday, June 24th.  
1:00 PM.  
Audrey lay on the hospital bed, looking up at the pale white sealing which matched her horror-stricken face. Justin sat by her and stroked her hair, an occasional teardrop rolled off of his face and onto her arms which lay strewn wildly next to her. She didn't mind though, it kind of felt bad and good that she knew she wasn't dreaming, well because Justin was there, and that he wasn't a figment of her imagination; that their magical date hadn't been her dreaming.  
Bad because she was bloody **deaf.**  
Nicholas stood outside her door talking to the doctor, occasionally pacing back to where the doctor stood next to the name plaque; _Room 146_, and out to the busy hallways where the nurses ran out and about. "I'm so so sorry, but the odds of her surviving was very low. She was lucky she's even alive. The truck did such a number on her, when she flipped over the truck and landed on the ground she hit her head on the concrete and damaged the temporal lobe. We don't fully understand it either. But, we believe it may be temporary... There's very little we can do but let it heal on its own. Like we said, it's damaged, but it isn't fully broken. Mr. Blanchard?" Nicholas looked up at Doctor Fields, who was currently holding up an ex-ray of Audrey's brain and pointing to the damaged area. "I'm sorry... So what should we do now?" The doctor looked down at his notes on his clipboard and looked up at Nicholas.  
"Well, as of now, Audrey is stable. We have some medication for her to help with the headaches..." "Headaches?" "It's pretty normal to have those, and with the blow that she got to her head, it's more than likely she'll be having them for some time." Nicholas winced. All of this because he didn't do a good job protecting her. "For if you want to see... The X-Rays…." He slid the transparent paper into the manila envelope and placed it in Nicholas' hands. "And about all of those cuts and bruises on Audrey's body, they're too old to be from the accident. Something you'd like to tell us?" Nicholas snapped his head up, the heat spreading across his face. They thought he was the son of a bitch who did that to her? Nicholas took a deep, deep breath, about to rip off a new one just for the whole hospital staff.

Justin kissed Audrey's forehead and then buried his head in the crook of her neck. When he pulled back Audrey stared up at him with watery eyes. "I have to go." He spoke slowly to make sure she understood what he was saying, his voice raspy and low. The gesture sprung tears to her eyes. That would've been the first time she'd heard his beautiful voice. But given the circumstances, she may never. She nodded and turned over in her hospital bed as he gave her another tight hand squeeze and let go reluctantly, picking up his coat and giving another glance over his shoulder to check she was alright. He hated to leave her, but he had to.  
On his way out, he got a threatening glance from Nicholas, which made him feel worse than ever. They held their stare for a minute or two, before Justin looked away sheepishly and ran out the hospital door- literally bolted.  
When Nicholas stepped in, Audrey had been laying on her side, staring at the hospital chair and the wall. "You okay?" He called out. He expected a small 'yes,' but then he remembered the situation they were in. Since Audrey couldn't see him, she had no idea he'd even spoke. He then walked over and Audrey felt a dip in the hospital bed and a hand cup over her shoulder. She nodded her head because she already knew what the question was. "When can we leave?" Her voice came out in a whisper. He just gave her shoulder a small squeeze and walked out to give her privacy to get dressed.

first_official_date_audrey_justin/set?id=56508627

Then when she was done getting dressed she went into the bathroom. So, she didn't have her make-up and looked herself over in the mirror. To cut it short, other than the major damage done by the accident, she had more than a few bruises and a couple of scratches- The type that only hurt when you touch them. But she was also very sore, in the arms and the legs, but hey, it was enough to ignore. Audrey smiled to herself and touched the beautiful gold keychain locket around her neck. At least it had survived the accident, unlike her dress.

When she exited the hospital room, she joined her brother at the check-out desk to sign the forms for her to check out and have her prescription. Nicholas and Audrey walked over to the desk and was met by a woman with pasty skin and a big nose. She looked like she could be a really mean librarian- A typical one, mole with sprouts of hair above upper lip, tight bun to the nape of her neck with gray hair at the roots, ugly dark colored lipstick, low, hollow voice, not particularly nice…

Nicholas gave her a small smile and she pushed a clipboard to him. Ignoring the nurses and doctors shouting and running around he began to scribble all over the clipboard and tugged Audrey's arm gently for her to sit with him at the waiting chairs. When he was done filling the forms he tugged on her sleeve and they walked back to the counter to hand the woman back the clipboard. They each gave her a smile, and walked to the car, Nicholas holding Audrey's wrist protectively the whole way. She rolled her eyes and got in the passenger seat.

They reached home; Nicholas set the keys on the coffee table and asked Audrey what she wanted for dinner, expecting an answer. _Dammit. _Nicholas thought, _I gotta remember to stop doing that. _He decided on Chinese food. He already knew what she'd want so he ordered for her.

When he hung up the phone and turned around he expected her to be sitting on the couch, watching TV or something. But no, Audrey had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders as she sat cross-legged on the beige carpet, arms folded in the unoccupied space on her lap, looking up at the large grandfather clock on the wall, clearly out of place. There was barely enough room for it so when somebody rounded a corner to a kitchen they had to make sure not to bump into it or it would fall over.

She stared up at the clock, despite not being able to hear it ticking; she watched the middle peace of the clock that showed the hands slowly bumping in a circle to represent a minute. Nicholas smiled at her fondly, leaning against the wall, sipping on his tea. She looked almost like a child at a toy store; mesmerized by the one thing she wanted, the one things she needed. But after a few minutes she got up and turned around. Nicholas raised his eyebrows. Audrey just looked down sheepishly at the floorboards and walked right past him, rounding the corner to her room where she shut the door softly and lay on her bed. She stared at her iPod and headphones as her head balanced on the back of her hand as she just stared.

She didn't want a silly toy, she wanted to hear again.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**Part 1**  
Justin slammed the door to his apartment flat. "Mom, I'm home." He yelled, shrugging off his jacket. He had received a call from his mother at the hospital asking him to come home. "Honey, do you know who a guy name Scooter Braun is?" He shrugged and sat on the couch, looking up her. "You two going on a date or something?" Pattie slumps her shoulders and glares at Justin. "No!" She hits his chest playfully and points at the phone. "He's been calling nonstop looking for you! I just got off the phone with him and... Justin, I think he wants to sign you to a record label." Justin's eyes went wide and he stared at his mother before jumping up and down.  
"But Justin, are you sure you want to do this?" He nodded his head so much his perfect hair shifted all the way down to make him look like he had a bowl cut. "Positive?!" he nodded his head again. "I don't know Justin," Justin let out a huff and sat back down on the couch. "I mean, what if you don't get it?" "You'll never know unless you try!"  
Dinner was silent; Justin was still a little bit upset with his mother because she was reluctant to fly him out to Atlanta. It's not like she's shipping him like cargo! Plus she'll be there with him! "Mooooommmmmmmmmmm." Justin whined whilst she cleaned the dishes. "Jusssttttiiiiiiinnnnnn." She retorted and gave him an eye roll as she handed him the dish to towel off and put in the cabinet. "Please just think about it." She sighed. "I'll ask what the ladies at the church think the next meet." He smiled triumphantly and put the squeaky clean plate back into the cabinet. "Love youuuu." He kissed her cheek. "Wait! Somebody's got to tell your father as well, mister." He walked down the hallway to his room to text Audrey the news.  
_*Guess what!  
*Hello to you too  
*-_- Guessss!  
*Your pants... LIGHT UP! __:ooooo  
*Lolno. A guy name Scooter Braun called. I think he wants to make me a record deal  
*OMFG Justin that's huge!  
*I know, but he wants to fly me out to Atlanta for a week and my mom doesn't know if he wants me to go __  
*:/ I'm sorry. What's making her so hesitnt?  
*He's Jewish.  
*Oh. Don't worry it'll work out  
*I hope so __ It's a once in a lifetime chance!  
*Ugggghhhhhhhhhh Nicholas is making me go to bed __ its supposed to help the headaches and the meds are making me sweeeppppyyyy ):  
*): But but but... Okie fine. Goodnight Ponyo.  
* Night Sosuke._  
Justin plugged his phone into the charger as he blushed and rolled onto his back and looked up on the ceiling. Is it too early in the relationship to tell her you love her? He shook his head at the thought.  
Well, since there's nothing better to do, he might as well figure out what to get Audrey for her birthday. Audrey was going to turn 14; she had graduated middle school early from all of the extra credit she did, and she just finished her freshman year at high-school. She was currently trying to convince her brother abut homeschooling so that she could get out of high school as soon as possible to help with rent. Justin frowned. Thirteen year olds; way too young to date. Then he shrugged. They were both pretty mature for their age, and they looked like they could be their age-maybe-, so. Then he thought about it again. Jesus, thirteen years old. He was responsible for making her deaf. Making a thirteen year old deaf.  
He quickly shook off the thought. A souvenir from Atlanta would be nice! That is, if his mom said yes. He rolled his eyes and opened up his computer screen. Curiosity getting the best of him, since he'd never had a real relationship before. He opened up the Google homepage and glanced around before walking over to the door and shutting it. Then he moved the cursor to the text box and typed in 'when to tell a girl you love her' and hit enter. About 75,000,000 results (0.24 seconds) First thing that came up was yahoo answers. He rolled his eyes but read anyway and then looked at the bet chosen answer which simply stated to wait until you feel she'll say it back. Yeah, but they make it sound simple. Should he bring her on a romantic date? Wait a few months? He sighed, and then clicked the computer off.

_Then, a light-bulb hovered above his head like in one of those old time cartoons. His mom might have some ideas, but he might have to keep it on the down-low._

_Justin tiptoed out of his room like a spy and peered around the flat's walls to the corner to get a perfect view of his mom, laying on the couch, bare feet propped up on a pillow, popping popcorn in her mouth and chewing thoughtfully as her attention was directed towards the lifetime movie on the TV screen. "Justin, I can see you," She popped another piece of popcorn in her mouth, her eyes never leaving the screen. How did she do that? Justin walked in and sat next to her feet and rested his hand against her shin. "Mom, what's a good ideal second date if your first date really didn't go as planned?" Pattie raised her eyebrow at this question, but answered nonetheless, but never directed her attention away from the TV._

_"Well, I don't think that it's anything worth going all-out for. Just being with each other would be perfect enough, or at least that's what I heard from all of these sappy chick-flicks," Pattie nudged her chin as __'A Walk to Remember's__ final credits rolled on. "Well when do you tell a girl you love her?" Pattie raised her eyebrow again and turned to Justin. "What, are you taking me on a date?" Justin glared at his mother. "No, mom. Just asking, for a friend." Justin glanced at the imaginary watch he had on his wrist. "Oh, look at the figment time! Almost 10:30. G'night mom." He walked over and gave her a peck on the forehead and grabbed some popcorn, Pattie swatting him away. "Goodnight weirdo." She called and she shook her head, popping another piece of popcorn in her mouth._


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

5:00 AM

Audrey stumbled out of Nicholas' bed in the dark, occasionally tripping over a shoe and fondling the walls until she found the doorknob. A shiver rippled through her spine as her foot met with the ice cold tile on her bathroom floor that had been neglected all night long. She walked over to the sink and splashed some water in her face, then looked up at her reflection. She fumbled around for her phone in her pocket, but then realized she couldn't call her Sosuke. He was half a million miles away hopefully becoming famous. Or he's asleep. She knew how bad Justin wanted to be noticed, and even though she never heard his voice, she knew he must be amazing.

After a few moments in the bathroom, she decided since there was nothing better to do than get ready for the day. She turned on the shower, and just jumped in. She yelped out in pain when she realized the water was way too hot, but she was too distracted to care. As the scorching hot water ran down her turning her whole body a blistering red, she scrubbed herself absent-mindedly. _What if he's having so much fun down there he'll forget about me? _She thought. She couldn't help but get jealous. There might be a million girls down there that might catch his attention, and he'll forget all about her completely. Should he tell her how she feels? _No, don't be the jealous and possessive type. But at least he's coming back in a few days._

When she was done with her shower around twenty minutes later, anything that made contact with her skin- including the towel- Sent her into immense pain. She slowly slid into warm fuzzy pajamas since it was still cold inside their apartment, despite her raw skin's cries. Then she slipped out of her room and into the kitchen where it was even colder. She didn't mind though, it felt good as it whipped against her skin. She walked over to the kitchen and made herself a cup of tea, before slipping back into her room and coming back out with her laptop in her hand.

A few minutes later she sat cross-legged on the couch, her MacBook on the coffee table, tea next to it. She sat in the dark and dimmed the lighting to her MacBook, before just slowly typing in her Facebook password and hitting enter. When her page opened up she saw that she had a message from her best friend Ana.

Ana Lauxe:** 'Audrey god dammit! Me, Lendon, and Declan were worried sick you hadn't answered our calls!' **

Sent at 1:15 PM, June 25th.

Lendon Coyne: **Audrey this isn't funny. You're worrying us sick. **

Sent at 2:30 PM, June 26th.

Audrey giggled at her friends' overprotectiveness. Oh yeah, how exactly do you break to your friends that you've known for years that you suddenly can't hear?

Audrey opened up her Twitter to see she had three mentions.

** The_Looks **Ana Lauxe**: **_#WheresmyAudie Audrey better have a damn good explanation for this! She knows I worry __ #Overprotectivemum #OverprotectiveAnaisOverprote ctive_

5:30 PM, June 30th

** Coin_Me_Coyne93**Coyne Lendon: _#WheresmyAudie Audrey! You're worrying The_Looks and PhelpMeUp sick! Come to us! #Getchoassbackhome_

7:00 PM, June 30th

** PhelpMeUp **Declan Derp Phelps: _ Coin_Me_Coyne93 says the one that's been pacing back and forth nonstop! But really though, #WheresmyAudie I miss you! D:_

7:15 PM, June 30th

Audrey giggled and typed up a new tweet.

** Call_Me_Ponyoo **Audrey Blanchard Bernard: _ Coin_Me_Coyne93 The_Looks PhelpMeUp I'm here! #HereisAudie #AudiesSafe :DDD Just taking a little break from social Networking. And I have some news…_

Sent 6:15 AM, July 1st.

Audrey was about to open up her Tumblr page when she glanced up at the big grandfather clock next to the TV. She shut the TV, picked up her tea, and sat in front of the grandfather clock like she did as a child. Setting her tea down next to her, she curled into a tight ball on the carpet and fell asleep just like that.

'_Look at this Audrey!' 16 years old Nicholas played an easy string from a lullaby their mother taught them when they were younger. 8 year old Audrey smiled and clapped her hands "Sounds nice! Can I try?" She asked hesitantly, she knew how he felt about people touching his guitar. When he gave her a look and didn't respond, she just returned to playing on the carpet. He grabbed her by the wrist and gently pulled her onto his lap. "Of course." He settled the guitar in front of her. 'You know, someday I might even just give you the guitar." Audrey giggled and strummed a few notes while Nicholas guided her tiny hands._

_Their grandma smiled fondly from the kitchen counter as she prepared dinner for them, before the door had a hard fist connect with the wood on the other side. Their grandma and Audrey jumped, which made Nicholas pull her into him some more protectively and try to settle her down. Grandma quickly rushed to the door and opened it, and Nicholas set Audrey back down on the floor and then settle his guitar on the stand before standing behind their grandmother._

_Audrey returned to playing on the floor until she heard her mother's voice. "Nick, some on." She sounded really distraught and distant, her voice was in some sort of low hiss. "Let's go home, come on, let's get Audrey-""They're not leaving, Marie." "Mother, they're my kids. I'm their legal guardian." "Not anymore you aren't." Everything was silent. Audrey looked up at the grandfather clock and focused on the ticking. "What are you saying?" Tick. "I'm taking this to court. Your husband is out of control. There isn't a day these kids don't come over and they're covered in bruises!" Tick. "You're not taking my kids." Their mom said. "YOU'RE NOT TAKING MY BABIES!" Tick. "Stop it, Marie!" A second later a pair of rough hands snaked around Audrey's waist and she was screaming. Tick._

"_Leave her alone, Marie!" "YOU'RE NOT TAKING MY KIDS!" Tick. "Mom leave her alone! Let her go!" Nicholas yelled and yelled. Tick. Suddenly Audrey was being carried upstairs and she was set face down on her grandmother's bed. She heard yelling downstairs. "Close your eyes, Audrey." Audrey started to sniffle a little and her back arched and fell in the effort. "Shh…" Nicholas rubbed soothing idle circles in her back and then she drifted off into sleep. He kissed her forehead and then lay down next to her._


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

11:00 AM

Audrey emerged from the hallway just as Nicholas was finished cooking breakfast. "Morning." They muttered to each other while Audrey rubbed at one of her heated bumps from this morning's hot shower encounter. "What happened there?" Nicholas pointed to the red patch as he passed her and sat at the table with his pancakes and bacon. Audrey scratched it and shrugged. "Just got into the shower a little bit too hot." Nicholas swallowed and raised an eyebrow. "That's not little. Little would be gone by now. Does it hurt?" She shook her head and sat next to him. She sat down next to him. "Aren't you hungry?" She shook her head again. He set down his fork and felt her forehead with the palm of his hand. "Are you feeling alright?" He felt around some more.

She nodded. "Just a little bit off is all. I spoke to Ana Coyne and Roldie." "Did you tell them about… You know?" "Not yet. I'm trying to figure out how to come about it." "Are you gonna tell him about…-" "-Justin." She realized she had never really talked about Justin with Nicholas. "Yeah, Justin." Audrey played with the red patches on her skin and shrugged. "He's in Georgia." She glanced up at Nicholas' confused expression. "Alright then? Might I ask why?" "Because he might get signed to a record label if they like him." "Wow. My little Audie dating a star!" He made a big motion to emphasize the word ;'star'. Audrey smiled and swatted his chest playfully and he kissed her temple before setting his dish in the sink and checking his watch.

"Almost late for work. Be safe, love. Keep the doors locked, don't let anyone in-" Audrey got an idea. "Can I have Ana Coyne and Roldie over?!" Nicholas contemplated for a second, his hand on the doorknob. "No parties, right?" Audrey rolled her eyes. "It's twelve in the afternoon." He chuckled. "Alright. Love you." "Love you too." She mumbled then texted her friends. She sat down on the sofa and wondered how she'd come about this.

**2:00 PM**

"Are you finished?" Audrey asked, as Declan paced the room and Ana came back with tears in her eyes. Lendon's voice was hoarse and raspy after around an hour shouting "IS THIS SOME SORT OF SICK JOKE?" "PLEASE TELL ME THIS ISNT TRUE." And a lot more. Their eyes were red from crying and Audrey was the only one that was completely composed in the room. "Are we done?" Lendon asked, taking her hands. "We just found out our best friend was deaf. All because we weren't there to push her from the truck." Ana had her head buried in the crook of Declan's neck as he whispered comforting things in her ear and stared at the wall.

"It's not your fault. It's mine. I should've been paying attention to the truck." Everything was silent after that. "Please don't beat yourselves up over this. Can we please, return back to normal? I've already adjusted to it it isn't that bad. In fact, it's kind of peaceful, but it can be scary too." They all looked at her an offered her a small smile. "Be prepared, we're not letting you," Lendon let go of a shaky Ana and tapped her nose. "Out of our," He tapped her nose again. "Sight." He said and sat down next to Ana. As Lendon was about to put his arm around her Declan obnoxiously squeezed in between them, making the romantic air awkward. "SANDWICH!" He declared. Ana and Lendon both sent him side glares after be wedged away from the person they wanted the most.

After an awkward silence, Ana piped up a conversation. "So, Audrey, what's been happening? I mean, what have you been doing all summer that made you so M.I.A?" She pointed to the tweet and emphasized 'Getting away from all the social networking'. Audrey shrugged and ran her hand against the blue duvet. "I kinda… Met… Someone." The boys' heads snapped up from the floorboard, their bored expressions now completely aware. Audrey laughed and ruffled their hair. "A little too bit protective are we?!" "Not as bad as Nicholas when he first met us!" Declan snapped in his sassy tone. "Yeah, I mean he practically told us that if you weren't back by 4:00 exactly we were never allowed to breathe in her damn direction." Ana glared at them. "He just loves her so so much. He's protective because of all they've been through…" Audrey bit her lip and Ana sighed. "Sorry," She rubbed over Audrey's red patch on her skin, and Audrey nodded. "It's okay. My father only made our bond stronger."

**6:00 PM**

Four hours later, the group lay on the couch, remote on the coffee table. The grandfather clock ticked soundly as Lendon and Ana cuddled under the blanket on one side and Declan and Audrey in the other, all four of their legs linked together under the covers. Nicholas walked through the doors and shot the boys an icy glare, having been protective of Ana too. Don't get him wrong, he was protective of the boys, but not as much as the girls. Mostly because he knew how guys thought, and because they could easily take him down one on one.

"Hey." They all mumbled. Audrey was snuggled deep into Declan's side and Ana got up to give Nicholas a small hug, he haven been like her big brother too. "Sleepover?" Ana suggested. Nicholas shrugged. "We just went shopping yesterday, so be my guest. But One condition." "Ana batted her eyelashes. "Yesss?" "If you're in the bedroom the boys are on the floor. If you're in the living room then the same rule applies, I don't care just make sure you're separated somehow." "Got it." Ana wandered back into Lendon's waiting arms. "And make sure you tell your parents." 'Okay!" All three shouted back.

After dinner they watched a movie, and after that they joked around a little, Audrey answering her phone every minute with texts from Justin, and her three best friends teasing her about it. "Why do you call him Sosuke?" Audrey stared at him wide-eyed, then pulled out her Ponyo DVD. "Watch this. Then you'll understand."

**10:00 PM**

The boys slept on the floor of Audrey's bedroom, looking absolutely exhausted. The girls tucked them in like they were four year olds. Ana was staring at Lendon's peaceful face as he slept on the floor with his arm tucked under his head, and his best friends a few feet away with his legs and arm strewn in every direction, his leg half-draped across Lendon's shoulder under the big blanket, the bulky figure standing out.

"So," Audrey began as she sat on the bed cross legged leaning on the frame. Ana turned back to look at her. "What?" She asked defensively. "You absolutely love Coyne." Audrey said. Ana sent her a half-glare half-blush and looked back at him. "It's okay, I don't think he likes me." She shrugged and looked down at her hands. "Then you obviously didn't feel the stiffy you gave him whilst you two cuddled on the couch. Ana's warm brown eyes went wide and she patted her hands over her ears on her dyed blonde hair. Audrey chuckled. "But do you think he likes me?" She asked seriously.

"You're kidding me."

"Nope."

"Dude, the way he looks at you… It's like he'd do anything to make you happy. I'm pretty sure he likes you too." Ana blushed, but then her face paled. "Well, what do I do?" "Think fast! Don't make him think you're not interested. Because soon he'll just give up and move on. Don't make it obvious, but hint him off just enough." Ana nodded, and her eyes met with Audrey's'.

"How about you and Justin?"

"What?" "Do you… You know… Think you love Justin?"

"I think?" Ana rolled her eyes and nodded. "Well, for the first few weeks I wasn't really sure if he was actually interested in me, maybe he was just being a little too friendly and didn't know how to let me down gently. And I kept telling myself, don't get your hopes up, he might not like you as much as you like him. But now, he calls me love and sweetie and angel and I can't help but feel like he really, really likes me. And when he found out I was deaf I expected him to leave, let's face it how could we communicate? But instead he started looking into sign language classes with me. And ever since then every time he looks at me, my heart stops completely and I can't help but think if he feels the same way. I feel like we can actually be like a normal couple." "By the sound of it, he's head over heels about you. "Really?"

"Duh!" "Well," Audrey blushed. "What should I do?" "It sounds to me like you're in denial that he might actually like you. Try not to focus on the negatives." Audrey nodded and lay on the bed. "It's getting late; we should go to bed er, something." "Thanks." "No, thank you. You don't know how long I've waited for someone to tell me to make a move on Coyne." "You're welcome, I guess." "You too."

Under the covers, on the floor, Lendon pretended to lay asleep soundly. But he didn't try to hide the smile that crept up on his face as soon as the lights went out.

Bust a move, Lendon.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**5:00, June 2****nd**

"But it wasn't meant to be funny! I wasn't even trying to be funny!" Audrey held the door open for Justin as she locked it behind her to her apartment. Justin was chuckling as he rounded the coffee table and sat down. "But you looked so adorable they couldn't resist." "But I wasn't trying to be funny! Or adorable! I wanted to be sophisticated!" Audrey pouted again. "Aw, come here." He held his arms out for her and she happily sat on his lap putting and looking at the floor. "You looked so cute while doing it though," Then he kissed her cheek, making her blush even more. "It isn't every day that they encounter a girl. You're welcomed into the family already."

"Really?"

"Yes! My mom thinks you're the daughter she's never had; my grandparents want to adopt you! My father thinks you're gorgeous," Audrey blushed even more. "I can't stand when you make that adorable face, babe." He kissed her softly making her blush even more. He pouted too. In fact, it's too cute. Don't show anyone else that face they might try to steal you from me," "Awww." Audrey gave him a small peck as he cuddled with her on the couch. Before she pulled away, Justin put his hands on the small of her neck to extend the kiss, then let go when he couldn't breathe again.

"Movie time?" She asked. "Sure babe." "I'll get the popcorn you choose the movie." Justin got up and turned on the TV then scanned the DVD's. Finding Nemo, Shrek, Shark Tale, Scary Movie, Scary Movie 2, Scary Movie 3, Scream. He looked down at the next DVD and smiled, then placed it into the player, lying on the couch waiting for Audrey to return. "Popcorn's ready!" She sat next to Justin's chest on the couch as he wrapped his arms around her waist. As Ponyo came on Audrey's eyes like up and she gasped then smiled, popping a piece of popcorn into Justin's mouth absent-mindedly.

She giggled as he pulled her down to spoon with him- him being the big spoon as they watched the film.

**6:30 PM**

Nicholas shut the door and locked it then turned around to see his little sister cuddling with Justin. "Hi Nicholas!" She said, and then directed her attention back to the movie. He completely ignored her hello and started to yell. "Why didn't you answer my calls?" Audrey seemed a bit startled, her and Justin sat up on the couch. "We got a bit caught up in the movie, sir." Justin answered for her, and then Nicholas snapped. "Audrey, you didn't tell me you'd have company." He scolded. "I'm sorry." She said. "Sorry doesn't cut it this time, squirt. You had me worried sick I called fifteen times!" "We got caught up in the movie! We're sorry!" She started to shout. "Well, I didn't know that, I was worried sick I nearly rushed home but that would've cost me my job."

"Don't make me feel bad. It was an honest mistake." "Well it would've never happened if you were paying attention. And you would've been paying attention if you'd came straight home from Justin's' house, alone." He emphasized alone, and then shot Justin an icy glare. "He didn't want to come. I made him so we could spend time together-" "And what exactly did you do?" Audrey crossed her arms over her chest and stood in front of Nicholas.

"We watched a movie."

"No, you didn't."

"What are you saying Nicholas?"

Silence.

"Do you not trust me?" Nicholas stood still and Audrey was in shock. Her big brother really didn't trust her. Tears rimmed the edges of her eyes as she turned to Justin and gave him a hug and a kiss. "You should go," She whispered and opened the apartment door for him. "I'll text you later." "No, you won't." Nicholas said. He quickly walked up behind Audrey and slammed the door, making her jump.

"I don't like him." Nicholas said. "You never even gave him a chance!" She scoffed and moved to turn off the DVD and put away the popcorn. "I don't have to. He's a horny teenage boy and he's only after one thing, Audie-" "No, don't call me Audie like we're best friends. I'm not in the mood," She walked past him. "Why do you always have to do this? Can't you at least try to get to know him?" "No." "Well why not?"

"Because you're too young to date! You're too young to even look at guys. You're still supposed to think boys have cooties! I remember when you were little and I used to kiss my girlfriends you said you'd never date when you got older and now you're wearing miniskirts and lipstick and revealing tops and now when I blink my eyes there's some bloke I have no intention of even knowing or caring about is all over my baby sister and she doesn't even mind! What happens when he breaks your heart?" "He won't." "Don't be silly, Audrey. Guys like that will break your heart."

"God, you're such a jerk!" Audrey stormed off to her room with angry tear streaming down her face and slammed to door and locked it. "Audrey open the door!" Then he realized she couldn't hear him. "Audrey, open the goddamn door!" He ran to the door and banged his fists on it till he couldn't feel, but he realized she still couldn't hear him. He started panicking and tried to break the door down. "Stop it!" She screamed and she opened the door. "I hate you!" She said and then slammed the door in his face again. Nicholas didn't bother to knock again, he just walked away.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

July 3rd

12:00 AM

"So you're the girl that stole little Justin's heart." Katie pinched Audrey's cheek and smiled while they sat on the couch at Justin's flat. "Haha yeah, I mean I guess." Audrey shrugged. "You mean you guess?" Katie lifted her eyebrow. "Justin talks about you nonstop! It's like you're his celebrity crush or something," She continues scrolling down her iPhone while they waited for Chaz to show up at Justin's' flat so they could spend the day together. "This is ironic because he's in the process of becoming one." She added quickly and Audrey giggled. Just then Chaz emerged and kissed Katie on the cheek. "Hey babe." He said, and then he looked over to hug Audrey. "Good to see you again, you're all Justin talks about you know."

"Katie told me."

"Did she now? She's been excited to meet you too."

Katie growled and Chaz chuckled. "Well I would be too if I was the only girl in the group." Audrey said and Justin plopped down next to her and pulled her into his lap, kissing her temple. "Awww," Katie cooed, then glared and Chaz when he mad e gagging noise. "Shut up! I wish you'd be romantic at least when was the last time you did that to me?" "Sorry babe." Chaz held Katie's waist and then pulled her onto his lap and mimicked Justin's actions. "Better now?" He asked. She blushed and nodded her head. Katie was smaller than Audrey by about an inch, which Audrey didn't mind, seeing as she wasn't the tiny one anymore. "Let's go munchkins!" Justin called as he pulled Audrey up by her wrists and they walked out the door.

"Be quiet!" Katie retorted. "Yeah, guys think short girls are cute." Audrey chimed in. She had a feeling she and Katie were getting along well. Justin growled. "He better not look at my girl." He said making Audrey giggle as he kissed her cheek. "Aww!" Katie turned around and hit Chaz in the chest. "Why can't we be that cuteee?" She whined. "It's okay because guys already know I'll be there in a heartbeat and smash their face if they dare touch my Katiecat." Katie groaned and hid her head in her hands. "Stop calling me that!" She said.

"We have cuter nicknames!" Justin teased. "Stop being mean!" Katie pouted and Chaz kissed her forehead. "She's my Ponyo," "and he is my Sosuke." Audrey stood on her tip-toes to get a kiss from Justin, and he happily lifted her up and planted one on her lips, half-smiling into the kiss. "AWWW-" "OH WILL YOU SHUT UP WOMAN!"

**1:00 PM**

The four were standing outside a frozen yogurt stand.

(Preview: what_katie_wears_lt/set?id=57722346#stream_box)

Preview: ( what_audrey_wears_lt/set?id=57723474#stream_box)

"So, Audrey, tell us about you." Katie said as she set down her spoon. Audrey was sitting on Justin's lap while they fed each other spoonfuls. "Well, erm , I go to school not too far from here from I don't have a lot of friends." She said. "Screw em," Chaz said. "You've got us now." Audrey smiled. "And, I used to play guitar and sings and I used to participate in school plays and stuff-" "Used to?" Katie asked. "Well I had an accident that left me deaf." Everything went silent.

"I'm sorry." Katie said. "No, it's alright. It wasn't really that good anyway-" "Nonsense. We've heard you using before on YouTube." "Katie!" Chaz and Justin wailed in unison. "What? Yes, Audrey. We were stalking you- OW!" Katie bent down to rub her shin after Chaz kicked it. She sent him an icy glare. "Sorry, love." He bent down to kiss her cheek but she pushed him away. "Piss off," She growled.

Audrey smiled and chuckled. "It's okay. Hey, It could be like pulling' teeth getting information from me sometimes. I don't blame you." She said. Katie smiled. "Yeah, so, why don't you keep trying?" Audrey gaped. "I'm deaf!" She exclaimed. "Yeah, so was Beethoven." Chaz said. "I don't think I'd stand a chance." Audrey said, and fed Justin another spoonful, but before the yogurt met his lips he lowered the spoon. "You could do it babe. We believe you can, but why can't you?"

Audrey shook her head. "I don't think I can-" "If you believe something great you can achieve something great." Katie said. Audrey smiled. The rest of the time was pretty silent. Justin kissed Audrey's cheek again and she looked up at him. "Please try." He said. Audrey rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Aww, please," "Justin, it's my choice-" "Pleaaaaasseeee?!" Chaz said from across the table. "N-" "PLEAAAASSSEEEE!" Katie screamed and everyone in the shop turned around to look at her.

"Alright alright!" She said and everyone at their table cheered. "I'll try." "And we'll be here," Justin said. "Every step of the way." Katie chimed in.

"Now,"

"What?"

"Who wants to play the penis game?"


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

_Audrey woke up with a startle. She started screaming and her brother Nicholas came running into the room. "Oh Audie, what's happened?" Nicholas ran by the foot of the bed and kneeled down to become level with her face. "Nick," she cried out, but then stopped. She looked over the room-pale purple, matching desk with some books on it, toys all around the room. Nicholas' favorite guitar with a whole bunch of stickers on it- Hey I thought I scraped those off! She looked over at her brother- The stubble was gone, his hair was worn in the same layered style at the top then short on the sides like he did when he first started college. He wasn't as aged as he was now- No brow creases from being worried every day, no bags under his eyes from exhaustion, no coffee breath…._

"_What's wrong, honey?" His fatherly instinct has taken over, he sat next to her on the bed and stroked her light brown hair- Light brown? It had been that color when she was ten, before she had been allowed to dye it. She tried to ask what was happening and nothing came out. He tried to follow her lips' movements but he couldn't. "I-I-" She kept trying to say- Wait? She could hear herself? SHE COULD HEAR PERIOD?!_

_He pulled her into a soft little hug as he pulled her into his lap. "It's aright. You're safe. I'll protect you. You'll always be safe."_

_Then, the door busted open. And there, in the doorframe, was their father- Beer bottle dangling from his hands, normal piercing dark brown eyes, and same unkempt appearance. He took another long guzzle before letting the bottle hit the carpet in a clank._

_Nicholas stood up. "What the hell are you doing here?" He shouted, Audrey flinched when she heard him yell. He soothingly rubbed her back and pulled her behind him. "I came for my wonderful kids. Y'know, the ones that didn't leave their dad-" "Well maybe if you'd taken anger management classes instead of consoling in a bottle, things would be different now!" Nicholas spat back, making their father growl. "Maybe if my son wasn't such a prick, I wouldn't need anger management at all!" Their father sneered. "Like father like son." The next minute their father had Nicholas in a headlock. "Audrey go find grandma!" Audrey started to scream. "No! He can't breathe!" She tried to pull their father off of her brother but he was too strong._

_Their father backhanded Audrey to the floor with ease. "Didn't anyone ever teach you not to provoke an angry drunk bloke?" He spat at her. Nicholas elbowed him hard in the stomach, sending him to the ground. "Audrey, go!" He shoved her to the open window. Just as she was about to slipped through the open window, she saw their father hold up something- a gun. "NO!" She screeched as the gun fired into Nicholas' backside. Blood covered her face as she looked at her brother lay on the floor, pale-faced and blood seeping from his clothes onto the carpet. "Shutup, bitch." Their father growled, and the gun was fired again._

**3:00 AM**

"NO! NOO!" Audrey was yelling and tossing and turning in bed. Nicholas rushed in and gently tried to shake her awake. "No!" She pulled his arms off of her and fought for dear life, her eyes glued shut because she was afraid of what she might see. Hey, hey! Everything's alright, Audie. It's okay." He cooed as she started to settle down on the bed. He stroked her face silently as she fluttered her red eyes open. He caught the tears that fell down her face on his thumb and wiped away the tears. "What's wrong?" He asked before she pulled him into a hug. She sobbed into his shoulder and he rocked her gently back and forth, "He came back- and- and- and-" "Shhh." He said again and kissed her forehead.

"He's not ever coming back. I won't let him. I'll die before I let him hurt you." She winced. "Don't say that! I don't want you to die." She cried softly. She kissed her forehead again and kept rocking her. "Aw, I thought that's what you wanted. You kinda told me you hated me this afternoon." He said. "I don't hate you." She whispered. "I love you. I'm sorry, I didn't mean it." "It's alright. I love you too, babygirl." "Please don't go," She said. He rubbed her back and kissed her forehead again. "I promise I won't, okay?"

She nodded as she kept shaking. "You gave me quite a scare this time, you know that?" She giggled. I'm sorry. I thought you were him." "He froze. Then he grabbed her chin to look into his eyes. "I won't ever, ever be dad. I promise. Don't ever say that. I'd never hurt you, okay?" She nodded. "Now come on, my bed is way warmer than yours.' She giggled as he picked her up and gently placed her on his bed. "Love you, Audie." He said before pulling her head into his chest.


End file.
